Ambulances

Lord Trimble: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they regard ambulances operated by the Glengormley Ambulance and Rescue Unit as ambulances within the meaning of the Road Traffic Acts.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: Road traffic law, and the definition of an ambulance within it, is a transferred matter in Northern Ireland. This is therefore a matter for the devolved Administration.

Archaeological Sites

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that material found on and information relevant to archaeological sites where the developer goes into receivership is safeguarded and the ownership secured for the public benefit.

Lord Davies of Oldham: We are aware of concerns that archaeological material may be lost as a result of developers' difficulties. However, we believe those in the archaeological sector are best placed to deal with the issue of safeguarding such material.
	The Government's statutory adviser on the historic environment, English Heritage, is liaising with the Institute for Archaeologists and the Federation of Archaeological Managers and Employers on issuing advice to financial administrators about the cultural value of archaeological archives. English Heritage is carrying out a scoping project to try to define the scale of the problem and what it can do to help and expects to have the results in August. However, there are issues of legal responsibilities related to planning consents to take into consideration, where it would not be appropriate for English Heritage or central government to intervene.

Aviation: Air Contamination

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent toxic air affecting airline passengers.

Lord Adonis: According to recent figures from the Air Transport Users Council, out of a total of 29,000 written complaints since January 2001, only 64 were categorised as medical and the main issues raised were pregnancy; ski injuries; allergies, typically from peanuts; and infectious diseases.
	Evidence available to date does not demonstrate (or rule out) a link between ill health and fume events. Studies such as the European CabinAir project have shown that normally the levels of chemical and biological contaminants in aircraft are lower than in many work environments such as office buildings.
	However, the department takes seriously concerns about aviation health. We began last year to conduct in-flight testing to capture and analyse what occurs in cabin air "fume events". Cranfield University, which is the project manager, hopes to complete the research work this year.
	Only after air sampling data has been obtained can we decide how best to assess any health impacts.

Bank of England

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how the level of sterling has affected the quantitative easing programme of the Bank of England.

Lord Myners: The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England is responsible for setting monetary policy, including use of the asset purchase facility, to achieve the Bank's annual inflation target of 2 per cent. The MPC's monetary policy decisions are informed by a range of indicators, including developments in the exchange rate.

Banking: Asset Purchase

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent statistical outcomes in the asset purchase facility for quantitative easing; and which statistics they use from the Bank of England in the calculation of such measurements.

Lord Myners: The Governor of the Bank of England is committed to operating the asset purchase facility (APF) in an open and transparent matter. The Bank publishes quarterly reports on the operation of the APF, the first of which was published on 27 April. The Bank also reports on the APF in its inflation report and regularly publishes operational information for the APF on its website.

Businesses: Redundancy

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they will hold with representatives of the United Kingdom retail sector about avoiding redundancies in the next six months.

Lord Davies of Abersoch: BIS Ministers and officials have frequent discussions with retailers and their representative organisations on a wide range of issues of importance to the prosperity of the sector and will continue to do so. In addition, the Retail Policy Forum, which is broadly representative of the sector, meets regularly to engage with Government on emerging policy challenges, threats and opportunities. Its most recent meeting, on 4 June 2009, included a discussion with senior representatives from Jobcentre Plus, USDAW, Skillsmart Retail and BIS's Retail Unit on retail jobs and skills during the current economic climate.

Crime: Bail

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times pre-charge bail conditions have been issued in each of the past five years.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how frequently pre-charge bail conditions are imposed by each police force.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government (a) how many applications to vary bail pre-charge bail conditions are received, and (b) how often variations are granted, in each police force area.

Lord West of Spithead: The information requested in not collected centrally.

Department of Health: Outside Consultancies

Baroness Barker: To ask Her Majesty's Government which outside consultancies have been undertaking work commissioned by the Department of Health for the past 12 months; and what the (a) purpose and (b) monetary value is of each commission.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The department has purchased the services of a range of consultancies during 2008-09 and is currently processing the information. Significant work is required to cleanse and validate the information in the requested format and we will endeavour to place this information in the Library before the House rises for the Summer Recess.

Elections: European Parliament

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the percentage poll in each of the 27 European Union member states at the recent elections for the European Parliament.

Lord Brett: The voter turnout for each EU member state is available on the European Parliament's election website at http://www.elections2009-results.eu/en/turnout _en.html.

Elections: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria govern the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland's practice of requiring sight of Commonwealth citizens' passports when registering for a vote but not the passports of individuals registering from the Republic of Ireland.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: Procedure relating to the supply of documentary evidence to support an application for electoral registration in Northern Ireland is an operational matter for the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland. The noble Lord may wish to write to him directly.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 9 March (WA 204—5) and 3 June (WA 87—8), how a "live human embryo" is defined in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (as amended); whether that should be interpreted as an embryo that is neither dead nor a member of another species; and, if not, how it has been interpreted by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The department takes the view that the term "live human embryo", as it will appear in subsection 1(1)(a) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (1990 Act) from 1 October 2009, when the amendments made by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 come into effect, would not include dead human embryos or embryos of another species.
	The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority advises that it has nothing to add to the definition set out in subsection 1(1)(a) of the 1990 Act, as amended.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 22 July 2008 (WA 243—45) and 3 June 2009 (WA 88), why the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) does not hold data on the number of stem cell lines from HFEA licensed research projects deposited in the United Kingdom Stem Cell Bank, given that the HFEA's Head of Research Regulation indicated in a letter dated 5 September 2008 that the "inspection of research centres will include checks to ensure that centres are depositing a sample of all stem cell lines derived in the UK Stem Cell Bank" and that the HFEA was previously aware that 35 stem cell lines had been derived under HFEA licences.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority advises that it does not hold data on the number of stem cell lines derived from licensed research projects as it has no statutory obligation to do so.

Equality Bill

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer on 1 June by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon (WA 23), whether they intend to seek the agreement of the Northern Ireland Executive for the Equality Bill to extend to Northern Ireland in relation to amendments to, and re-enactment of, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: There is nothing further I can add to the Answer given on 1 June 2009 (Official Report, col. WA 23).

Finance Sector: Remuneration

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that recovery in the United Kingdom financial services sector will not lead to large increases in remuneration packages for senior directors.

Lord Myners: The Government are clear that the banking industry, both in the UK and globally, needs to develop sustainable long-term remuneration policies that take better account of risk.
	The FSA has published a code of practice on remuneration, which it intends to add to the FSA handbook; the code is currently being consulted on and the FSA aims to have it in place for firms' 2009 remuneration review processes. In parallel, the Walker review is looking, among other things, at strengthening remuneration practices as part of improvements to corporate governance. Neither the FSA's work nor the Walker review are intended to dictate the quantum of remuneration, either for individuals or at the level of groups or institutions. This remains a matter for the boards and management, accountable to the institution's shareholders. Institutional shareholders are expected to take an active interest in the design and effectiveness of remuneration practices as part of fulfilling their stewardship responsibility to their clients.
	UK Financial Investments (UKFI) is overseeing the remuneration conditions attached to subscribing to the Government's recapitalisation fund and working with RBS and Lloyds in the context of the asset protection scheme. UKFI has worked to ensure that the banks subscribing to these schemes offer incentives based on the Government's principles on remuneration, including no rewards for failure, and to protect the interest of the taxpayer as a shareholder.

Gangmasters

Lord Burnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many successful prosecutions have been brought by the Gangmasters Licensing Authority since its inception; and what fines and other penalties were ordered to be paid.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) has carried out two successful prosecutions, both for operating as a gangmaster without a licence. In May 2008, a labour provider from Perth in Scotland was sentenced to 18 months probation and 140 hours community service for operating as a gangmaster without a licence and in May 2009 an Edinburgh recruitment firm was sentenced to a fine of £2001.
	1 Figures obtained from the Gangmasters Licensing Authority

Gangmasters

Lord Burnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the annual cost of running the Gangmasters Licensing Authority; and what is the breakdown of those costs.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Gangmasters Licensing Authority's (GLA) running costs for the 2008-09 financial year were £1.368 million1. This covered the cost of the authority's licensing work and operating expenses. In addition to this, the GLA spent a further £2.041 million2 on enforcement which it undertakes on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.
	1 Figures obtained from the Gangmasters Licensing Authority
	2 Figures obtained from the Gangmasters Licensing Authority.

Health: Bilateral Agreements

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government with which European Union countries they have bilateral agreements for the payment of costs for (a) United Kingdom pensioners, and (b) health services for all ages.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The United Kingdom currently has bilateral healthcare agreements with the following European economic area (EEA) member states: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. These agreements are in line with EU Regulation 1408/71 which covers cross-border healthcare. The agreements all have different terms and conditions but all relate to healthcare for pensioners, workers, tourists and the dependents of the former two groups and are reciprocal in nature.

Health: Former UK Residents

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government in (a) 2006—07, and (b) 2007—08, how much they paid to the Governments of (1) Latvia, (2) Poland, and (3) Lithuania, for healthcare for United Kingdom citizens in those countries; and how the figures were agreed.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The table below shows the actual cash payments the United Kingdom made to Latvia, Poland and Lithuania in 2006-07 and 2007-08. The payments represent reimbursement for healthcare provided to British citizens visiting, working or retired in these member states. Claims are submitted, determined and settled on the basis of EU Regulation (EC) 1408/71.
	The figures in the table below reflect the fact that European economic area (EEA) medical costs are typically submitted by EEA member states one to three and sometimes more, years in arrears. Payments made in one year do not necessarily relate to claims for that year nor do they reflect the full value of claims for that year.
	
		
			 Payments by UK to Latvia, Poland and Lithuania underEU Regulation (EC) 1408/71 
			 Member State 2006-07 Amount (£) 2007-08 Amount (£) 
			 Latvia 0 397 
			 Poland 0 8,560 
			 Lithuania 0 294,451

Independent Safeguarding Authority

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) will be established and operational; and what is the budget for the ISA.

Lord West of Spithead: The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) was formally vested on 2 January 2008 and commenced operations in March 2008. The ISA's budget for 2009-10 is £12.9 million.

Legislation: Costs

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they keep full accounts that would show the total cost of preparing and bringing in any bill, including all departmental civil service, drafting, other legal and associated costs.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The Government do not keep such accounts.

Mutual Recognition Regulation

Earl Howe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the main principles of the Mutual Recognition Regulation ((EC) 764/2008); and what assessment they have made of the impact of that regulation.

Lord Davies of Abersoch: Regulation 764/2008 seeks to improve the operation of the principle of mutual recognition of goods, which already exists in EU law, whereby products which are lawfully on sale in one member state should be accepted in other member states' markets.
	The regulation has two main elements. Firstly, it sets out a procedure national enforcement authorities must follow when deviating from the principle of mutual recognition. This requires them to clearly set out the justification for their action and allow a set time period for considering comments.
	Secondly, the regulation requires member states to set up product contact points and to provide information to businesses on national technical rules which might create barriers to trade.
	BIS has made an assessment of the impact of the regulation in the UK, which can be found at http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file48727.pdf, though it should be noted that most of the benefits to UK businesses will come from implementation in other member states. The Commission has published an impact assessment for the EU as a whole at http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/regulation/internal_market_package/docs/sec2007-112impactassessment_en.pdf.

NHS Trusts

Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Chairmen of NHS trusts were removed from office in each of the past three years by the Secretary of State, or his agent, for (a) an unacceptable level of trust debt, (b) a negligent or avoidable failure in patient treatment care, and (c) inappropriate trust governance.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The Secretary of State has powers to appoint and terminate the appointment of National Health Service Trust chairs. These powers may be delegated by him to the Appointments Commission—an independent executive non-departmental public body.
	In the past three years, there has been one chair termination, in 2006-07. The termination decision was made following a review of the case, which included evidence of inappropriate trust governance by the chair.

NHS: Fracture Liaison Service

Lord Cotter: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that every hospital in England is linked to a Fracture Liaison Service.

Lord Darzi of Denham: It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) to decide locally how best to commission services. We know that we need to support PCTs to improve services for people who suffer falls and fractures. Over the last year the department has worked closely with key stakeholders, including leading clinicians, charities and those who commission and provide services to develop a range of tools that we hope will drive local improvement.
	The department's forthcoming prevention package for older people which is due to be published as part of the Government's forthcoming new strategy for an ageing population includes a renewed focus on best practice for commissioning falls prevention and care for people with fractures as well as a toolkit to help services improve.

Poland

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they give to black and Asian British citizens travelling to Poland in the light of recent experiences of persons reportedly subjected to racial abuse, harassment and threats of violence.

Lord Brett: There have been no reports in the Polish press of abuse, harassment or threatening behaviour being directed towards black or Asian British citizens in Poland. We see the risk of British citizens, irrespective of ethnic origin, being attacked in Poland as being negligible. We do not, therefore, have any plans to produce specific travel advice for black and Asian British citizens at this time. However, we constantly review our travel advice with our embassy in Poland and amend it when necessary.

Police: Databases

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals' images are stored by (a) the Metropolitan Police Force CO11 Public Order Branch, and (b) each other police force in England and Wales; and how many such images have been deleted over the past three years.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many members of the House of Lords have their images stored on a police database.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the name of the police database on which individuals' images are stored.

Lord West of Spithead: There are a number of databases maintained by police forces and policing organisations with the capability of storing images. However, this information is not held centrally.

Police: Databases

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria are used by police forces in deciding whether to retain an image on a database.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what rank of police officer decides whether to continue to store an image on a database.

Lord West of Spithead: The criteria and authority to decide whether to retain an image on a database is specific to the purpose for which the image is held, and therefore specific to each database. The number of databases held by police forces or policing organisations is not held centrally as this information may relate to an individual force or unit within a force. Guidelines on the retention of records are outlined in the Data Protection Act (1984 and 1998).
	The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (as amended) sets out the legal framework governing the retention and use of facial, scar mark and tattoo images, as well as fingerprint images, taken in accordance with that Act.

Police: Databases

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government how an individual knows whether their image is stored on the police database; and how they can appeal to have it deleted.

Lord West of Spithead: Police databases are regulated by a substantial body of legislation, primarily the Data Protection Act and the Code of Practice for the Management of Police Information. Under the Data Protection Act a member of the public is able to make a subject access request to determine whether data, including images, are held by a police force and the purpose for which that data is held. In addition it outlines procedures by which members of the public may appeal to have personal data deleted or rectified.

Prisons: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 1 June (WA 54) concerning the team appointed to review the equity monitoring service in relation to Northern Ireland prisons, why they did not provide the names in the Answer; who took the decision not to; and for what reason.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The roles of the review team members were made public in the document. It is normal practice not to publish the names of Prison Service personnel unless this information is already in the public domain.

Railways: Bridges

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money has been spent on undertaking the Bridgeguard 3 programme (under EC Directives 85/3/ECC and 89/460ECC); whether the programme is complete; and how much money has been spent on it by (a) Network Rail, and (b) Highway Authorities.

Lord Adonis: Bridgeguard 3 is a Network Rail programme to check the capacity of their road over rail bridge stock to carry 5-axle 40 tonne and 6-axle 44 tonne vehicles, pursuant to EC Directive 85/3 (and subsequent amending directives). There are approximately 9,300 overbridges owned and maintained by Network Rail, not all of which carry primary route network (PRN) roads.
	Network Rail's costs in relation to Bridgeguard 3, and progress with the programme, are operational matters for Network Rail. The noble Lord should contact: Iain Coucher, Chief Executive, Network Rail, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9AG.
	The Highways Agency's structures that carry motorways and trunk roads over railways do not fall under the Bridgeguard 3 programme, but have been addressed as part of the Highways Agency's own assessment and strengthening programmes, and costs are included in the overall expenditure figures. For older bridges there has been a large programme of structural assessment followed by strengthening of bridges where necessary. Total costs are estimated to be about £777 million overall, including an allowance for future costs. Expenditure to the end of 2007 was about £651 million from this total estimate.
	The management of the local road network in England, including maintenance of its bridges, is the responsibility of local highway authorities. The Department for Transport provides funding to English local authorities, outside London, for highway maintenance through its local transport plan settlement allocations, and through specific funding for maintenance for structures, including bridge strengthening, on the PRN.
	Highways matters outside England are a matter for the devolved Administrations. In London, they are a matter for the mayor.

Railways: Freight

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the scope for reviving the former central railway freight line from the north and midlands to southern England.

Lord Adonis: The Government's strategy for developing the freight capability of the rail network is set out in "Strategic Freight Network: The Longer-Term Vision", which is published on the Department for Transport website at http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/strategyfinance/strategy/freightnetwork/.
	The Government remain unconvinced of the viability of proposals to reinstate part of the former Great Central Railway as a rail freight-only line.

Safety Standards

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are plans to work with European counterparts in the hospitality industry to strengthen hotel safety standards.

Lord Davies of Abersoch: The Government have no formal plans to work with European counterparts on hotel safety standards. The British Hospitality Association is involved, through its European association, in working with the European Council in respect of Recommendation 86/666/EEC, which relates to hotel fire safety.

Smoking

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have to increase taxation on tobacco products in order to fund the cleaning of litter caused by such products.

Lord Myners: The Government have no plans to hypothecate tax revenues from tobacco duties to fund the clearing of litter.

Voluntary Organisations: Funding

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they provide to voluntary bodies and other local organisations supporting volunteers who are facing reductions in public funding for their projects.

Baroness Crawley: In response to hearing concerns of a range of third sector organisations, unprecedented support is being given to the third sector during the economic downturn.
	The Real Help for Communities: Volunteers, Charities and Social Enterprises package of measures includes support for volunteers, grants to small organisations and support for jobs and loans to assist partnership working. This up to £42.5 million package includes a £16.5 million Modernisation Fund. This fund offers bursaries of £1,000 for organisations to pay for initial advice on how they can become more resilient and work more closely with others to increase their impact; grants of up to £10,000 to help pay costs involved in moving towards collaboration or merger; interest-free loans of between £30,000 and £500,000 for third sector organisations with existing plans for mergers and collaboration or other activities to help them prepare for difficult times; and in addition, in this year's Budget, the Government announced a £16.7 million Hardship Fund, which will provide grant support to third sector organisations in England delivering front-line services to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in society that have been affected by the recession.

Voluntary Organisations: Funding

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty's Government what national sources of funding are available to voluntary bodies and local organisations supporting volunteers.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to fund voluntary bodies and organisations supporting volunteers over the next three years.

Baroness Crawley: The Government are committed to supporting an environment for a thriving third sector and provides funding and support to a wide range of third sector organisations, including community groups, registered charities and social enterprises. The Office of the Third Sector leads on this work and between 2008-11 will be investing up to £515 million to support third sector organisations. This includes an investment of up to £137 million on programmes to support volunteering.
	In addition this year's Budget saw the announcement of a £16.7 million Hardship Fund for third sector organisations delivering services to people that have been affected by the recession. The fund builds on the up to £42.5 million announced in the February 2009 "Real Help for Communities" action plan to provide support for the third sector during the economic downturn.
	Details of funding opportunities from the Office of the Third Sector are promoted via the Office of the Third Sector website (www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_ sector), a regular newsletter to stakeholders and through a number of local and national third sector networks.

Working Time Directive

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have revised their forecast of the level of compliance in the National Health Service with the European working time directive in August 2009 in light of the latest data from strategic health authorities; and, if so, when they expect to achieve full compliance; and by what means.

Lord Darzi of Denham: Our overall aim is to ensure that, consistent with patient safety, the maximum number of services are supported to achieve compliance by 1 August.
	The National Health Service (NHS) is compliant with the exception of junior doctors in training. Two-thirds of junior doctors are already working a 48-hour week averaged over 26 weeks. There will be a small number of 24-hour immediate care services, supra-specialist services and units in rural and isolated areas that may need support beyond 1 August. These services formed the basis of the United Kingdom's notification of derogation to the European Commission in January and now inform the statutory instrument that will be laid in Parliament on 24 June 2009. Information will be published in due course.
	Derogation means that the directive allows a possible 52-hour week until 2011 (exceptionally until 2012) in services that may require more time to achieve the average 48-hour week. This flexibility represents good NHS management.